Portable firearms for firing bombs



Sept. 14, 1937. 1 sAvANl PORTABLE FIRERM FOR FIRING BOMBS Original Filed July l5, 1934 Mme/1,1

Patented Sept. 14, 1937 u UHED STATES PATENT OFFEE PORTABLE FIREARMS FOR FIRING BOMBS Luigi Savani, Milan, Italy, assigner to Societa Italiana Ernesto Breda per Costruzioni Mecaniche, Milan, Italy 4 Claims.

This application is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 735,033, filed July 13, 1934, Patent No. 2,068,821.

The present invention relates to an improve- 5 ment in or modification of the invention claimed in U. S. Patent No. 1,816,265.

The above patent is directed to portable rearms for projecting bombs, wherein a quantity of explosion gases, variable at will, may be deviated from the barrel into the bomb-projecting tube. The resultant firearm enables the power exerted on the bomb by the diverted gases to be varied at will within wide limits and consequently the distance the bomb is thrown may be varied.

An obj ect of this invention is to provide a bombprojecting attachment for rifles and other firearms, the attachment having an auxiliary barrel forming an extension of the barrel of the firearms and axially movable toward and away from the rie barrel.

Another object of this invention is to provide l a bomb-projecting attachment for rifles and other I a bomb-projecting attachment for rifles and other firearms comprising a bomb-projecting barrel, a fitting adapted to receive the muzzle of the firearms, a passageway from the fitting to the bombprojecting barrel for the flow of gases to the latter, and an auxiliary barrel aligned with the barrel of the firearms and axially movable to vary the size of said passageway.

According to the present invention an auxiliary barrel is associated with the bomb-projecting barrel which is attached (preferably removably) to the normal barrel of the weapon so that the auxiliary barrel forms an extension thereof, the auxiliary barrel being movable longitudinally to vary the size of a passage leading from the normal barrel to the bomb-projecting barrel, whereby the quantity of gas passing into the bomb-projecting barrel may be varied.

Preferably, the movement of the auxiliary barrel to control the quantity of gas passing to the bomb-projecting barrel is effected by movement of a member carrying a scale indicating directly the range corresponding to the degree of 55 opening of the passage leading to the bomb-pro- In Italy July 14, 1933 jecting barrel when the weapon is held at a predetermined sighting angle and bombs of a given weight are employed.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows, by way of example, one embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure l shows a longitudinal section of a weapon according to the invention;

Fig. 2 shows the attachment in side elevation; and

Fig. 3 is a side View of the device carrying the graduated scale.

As shown in the drawing, the bomb-projecting attachment comprises a frame o'r bracket 'I which is detachably secured to the muzzle of the gun barrel 4. The downwardly extending portion of bracket 'I is provided with a socket or slot 25 adapted to cooperate with a bayonet lug on the rifle. A lock bolt 26 serves to avoid accidental removal of the attachment from the gun.

Frame or bracket 'I is provided with a tubular portion I having a fitting 2 positioned in the lower portion thereof and an auxiliary barrel I mounted in the upper portion thereof. Fitting 2 has a socket-like recess in its lower portion to receive the muzzle of the barrel Il and the upper portion of fitting 2 is formed to cooperate with the rear face of the auxiliary barrel I. The bracket 'I has a socket 6', in which is fitted a bomb-projecting barrel 6, and is provided with a conduit 5 affording a passageway for gases from the intermediate part of the tubular portion I between the lower end of barrel I and the upper end of fitting 2 to the base of the barrel 6.

With this construction, the barrel d is extended by the fitting 2 and the barrel I. The latter is externally screw threaded to cooperate with screw threads on the interior of the tubular portion l', so that barrel I may be axially moved toward and away from the fitting 2 to vary the size of the gap therebetween and thereby vary the quantity of gases allowed to flow through passage 5.

A milled sleeve 9 is provided having a locking key I0 normally engaging in a recess formed in the bracket 1. By moving the sleeve 9 slightly in a longitudinal direction, the key I0 is freed from the recess and the sleeve can then be turned to rotate the barrel I, whereby the latter is moved to vary the distance between the rear end of the barrel I and the front edge of the fitting 2.

As shown in the drawing, the sleeve 9 consists of an upper part 9' secured to barrel I and the lower part .9 which is axially slidable on part 9 but rotatable therewith. The two telescoping parts 9 and 9' are urged axially apart by a coil spring 2l.

When the projectile 3 on leaving the barrel 4 enters the barrel l, the gas of the explosion which is held back by the projectile escapes through the passage 5 into the bomb-projecting barrel 5 behind the bomb 8 in a quantity corresponding to the degree of opening of the passage 5, which is regulated by the distance -between-the barrel l and the tting 2.

The degree of opening of the passage 5 is indicated in one of the windows il, in which there may appear graduations of any desired kind formed on a scale. Thesegraduations may indicate the range when the weapon is sighted to a predetermined and invariable backsight, `for example, always at an angle of 45 to the horizontal determined by the collimator tube l2 and pendulum 2i).

Afterthe barrel lis rotated to axially displace the same and the lower outer part ofthe sleeve is allowed to return to its locked position, it will be found that the upper part 9 ofthe sleeve, which is xed to barrel l, will have shifted axially relative to ithe locked position of the lower portion of the sleeve.

As shown in Fig. 3, two columns of axially arranged indicia are provided on the upper portion 9' of the sleeve, the indicia in one column being staggeredV relatively to those inthe other column With this arrangement, the indicia of each co1- umn are alternately brought in' register with rst one and then the other window Il.

Constructions'according to the invention have the advantage that the bomb-projecting barrel can be readily removed from the weapon when it is desired to use the latter as an ordinary riiie, so that when firing the riflethe Vweight of the bomb-projecting attachment does not hinder the marksman. 'In this connection it is pointed out that it is preferred to employ the device according tothe invention with rifles'v provided with a rotatable shoulder pad at the end of the stock, such as that described in the specication of the parent application.

Moreover, the milled sleeve 9 provides a very quick-acting means for adjusting the range.

While I have shown and'described the preferred embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I dov not conine myself to the precise details herein set forth by way of illustration, as it isv apparent that many changes and variations may be made therein by those skilled in the art, `without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A bomb-projecting attachment 'for rearms, comprising a bracket adapted to be aiiixed toy the firearms, said bracket having a tubular portion aligned with the barrel of the rearms, a fitting in one end of said tubular portion adapted to engage the muzzle of the firearm' barrel, an auxiliary barrel screw-threadedly mounted in said tubular portion for axial adustrnent toward and awayv fromsaid iitting, said bracket having a socket fo-r'a bomb-projecting barrel and a passageway extending from said tubular portion in termediate said auxiliary barrel and iitting to said socket,'a bomb-projecting barrel mounted in said socket, a sleeve axially slidable on said auxiliary barrel and rotatable therewith for rotating said auxiliary barrel to axially displace it to adjusted positions to thereby vary the quantity of explosion gases admitted to said passageway, and means carried by said sleeve adapted to cooperate with said bracket for locking said sleeve and auxiliary barrel against rotation.

2. A bomb-projecting attachment for iirearms, comprising a bracket adapted to be affixed to the firearms, said bracket having a tubular portion aligned with the barrel of the iirearms, a fitting in one end of said tubular portion adapted to engage the muzzle of the rearm barrel, an auxil- 'iary barrel screw-threadedly mounted in said tubular portion for axial adjustment toward and away from said fitting, said bracket having a socket for a bomb-projecting barrel and a passageway extending from said tubular portion intermediate said auxiliary barrel and fitting to said socket, a bomb-projecting barrel mounted in said socket, means for rotating said auxiliary barrel to axially shift it to adjusted positions to vary the quantity of explosion gases admitted to said passageway, comprising a sleeve-like member fixed on said auxiliary barrel, an outer sleeve axially slidably mounted on said sleevelike member but rotatable therewith, resilient means urging said outer sleeve in an axial direction toward the portion of the bracket into which said auxiliary barrel is threaded, and a lug carried by the lower end of said outer sleeve and engageable with a recess formed in said bracket for locking said sleeve and auxiliary barrel against rotation.

3. A bomb-projecting attachment for rearms, comprising a bracket adapted toy be aiiixed to the iirearms, said bracket having a tubular portion aligned with the barrel of the iirearms, a fitting in one end of said tubular portion adapted t0 engage the muzzle of the firearm barrel, an auxiliary barrel screw-threadedly mounted in said tubular portion for axial adjustment toward and away from said fitting, said bracket having a socket for a bomb-projecting barrel and a passageway extending from said tubular portion intermediate said auxiliary barrel and tting to said socket, a bomb-projecting barrel mounted in said socket, and means for rotating said auxiliary barrel to axially shift it to adjusted positions to vary the quantity of explosion gases admitted to said passageway, said inner sleeve having an axially spaced indicia provided on the outer surface thereof and said outer sleeve having a window formed therein to enable observation of the indicia on said inner sleeve when said outer sleeve is in its locked position.

Ll. A bomb-projecting attachment for firearms,

comprising a bracket adapted to be aflixed to the rearms, said bracket having a tubular portion aligned with the barrel of the iirearms, a tting in one end of said tubular portion adapted to engage the muzzle of the rearm barrel, an auxiliary barrel screw-threadedly mounted in said tubular portion for axial adjustment toward and away from said iitting, said bracket having a socket for a bomb-projecting barrel and a passageway .extending from said tubular portion intermediate said auxiliary barrel and fitting to said socket, a bomb-projecting barrel mounted in said socket, means for rotating said auxiliary barrel 'to axially shift it to adjusted positions to vary the quantity of explosion gases admitted to said passageway, comprising a sleeve-like member fixed on said auxiliary barrel, an outer sleeve axially slidably mounted on said sleeve-like member but rotatable therewith, resilient means urging said outer sleeve in an axial direction toward the portion of the bracket into which said auxiliary barrel is threaded, and a lug carried by the lower end of said outer sleeve and engageable with a recess formed in said bracket for locking said sleeve and auxiliary barrel against rotation, said inner sleeve having two axially arranged columns of indicia formed thereon with the two columns when said outer sleeve is in locked 5 position.

LUIGI SAVANI` 

